The hyphenated Augustine
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The hyphenated Augustine

“In the West, there is no theologian who can compare with Augustine.” So González writes in the introduction to his groundbreaking biography of Augustine’s life, thought and works. Catholics and Protestants alike turn to the bishop of Hippo as the patron saint of theological discourse, the forefather of our ecclesiological and soteriological imaginations. Whether we…

Two Brits banter about the past
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Two Brits banter about the past

Most history podcasts sound like modified lectures or highly detailed disquisitions on discrete issues, requiring copious quantities of listening time and a certain degree of monomania. For the history fans for a moderately long walk, run, or drive, The Rest is History is an accessible, entertaining, and well-produced listening experience. The hosts are two British…

Sticky metaphors and signature sermons
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Sticky metaphors and signature sermons

John P. Bowen, Emeritus Professor of Evangelism at Wycliffe College, Toronto, has given us a gift in his collection of sermons, essays, and reflections titled God is Always Bigger: Reflections by a Hopeful Critic. That was his goal as a theologian who is a self-described “collector type” – collectors must give away their collections to…

Making Friends
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Making Friends

Young Sicily Bridges brims with creativity and believes she can make anything. She lives at 48 Grasshopper Estates with her loving mom and is surrounded by unique neighbours. Though Sicily’s home address alludes to grasshoppers, “in all her years there, she had never seen one grasshopper, or, come to think of it, any grass. That…

Quirky humour blended with a passion for conservation
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Quirky humour blended with a passion for conservation

Author Bibi Dumon Tak blends quirky wit, scientific knowledge, and conservation facts with poems formatted as modern communication techniques to draw young readers into the world of creatures with hooves. In an email conversation between a wild boar and a pig, a radio announcement about a cape buffalo, a 911 call about a mountain goat,…

The disability camp that started a revolution
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The disability camp that started a revolution

“This camp changed the world, and nobody knows the story.”  So begins co-director and narrator Jim LeBrecht in the opening scenes of Crip Camp. A critically lauded award-winning documentary film directed by LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham, Crip Camp tells the story of a summer camp and its impact on the disability revolution in the United…

Engaging our secular world

Engaging our secular world

In Wisdom from Babylon, Gordon T. Smith tackles the question, “What does it mean to provide leadership for the church in an increasingly secular context?” Smith is president of Ambrose University and Seminary in Calgary, a long time Teaching Fellow of Regent College, and author of several books on spirituality and vocation. The book is…

Peterson’s theological resonances

Peterson’s theological resonances

During the 2018-2019 academic year, I was startled by the large number of students discussing Jordan Peterson, professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. Everywhere I turned, Muslims, Christians and atheists were discussing and debating the socio-political perspectives and the mytho-poetic analyses that Peterson offered via YouTube, his book 12 Rules for Life, and…

History and advocacy
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History and advocacy

Dr. Beth Allison Barr’s The Making of Biblical Womanhood takes the reader on a journey of the Christian woman through historical facts, clever quotes and heart-wrenching stories. As a professor of medieval, women’s and church history at Baylor University, Barr is more than qualified to lead us on this entertaining and knowledgeable exploration into why…